For some couples, becoming ‘mom’ and ‘dad’ is a pretty straight forward and a relatively quick 9-month process. Yet for other couples, the road to becoming parents can be long and full of tragedy.
Vancouver-based Kate Austin-Rivas and her husband Didier struggled to conceive, but eventually became pregnant with baby Elle and gave birth to her healthy daughter in 2009. “It wasn’t easy to conceive our first daughter,” Austin-Rivas said. “After her, I became pregnant easily with our Katelyn who was a stillborn. We took a little time to heal and process it, and again, we became easily pregnant with Ireland who I carried to term.”
Ireland was born with severe oxygen deprivation and cerebral palsy, but didn’t survive long after birth. “It was a catastrophic delivery with her and my life on brink,” Austin-Rivas said. “I ended up surviving and she passed away at a hospice at one month of age.”
The couple was devastated by the loss of not one but two daughters, and knew that they still wanted to be parents but couldn’t go through that pain and loss again. The two decided something had to change, and turned to surrogacy.
Austin-Rivas posted her story on social media in hopes that a willing surrogate would come forward, and after a few offers, the couple decided to accept Christine Hale’s offer. “Because of everything I’ve gone through, I realized how valuable it is to listen to your gut,” Austin-Rivas said. “She’s very responsible. She’s a single mom of three kids. Our values are very similar. She’s a very giving person, besides the connection we have.”
Christine became pregnant through IVF, and when it came time for the delivery, Austin-Rivas hired a photographer to capture the special moment.
“Because we have so many traumatic memories from Ireland’s birth, I wanted to make sure that we had some positive memories that would be stuck in our minds,” Austin-Rivas said. “That was my reasoning for doing it because sometimes you forget.”
“I was anxious, I was excited, I was terrified and then I was a complete puddle of tears when I saw her come out,” Kate Austin-Rivas said about the moment Christine gave birth to a healthy baby girl they named Scarlett. “She was crying and seemed strong and it’s one of those moments that I needed and I will never forget.”
Watch the entire video below to see Baby Scarlett’s birth story.
Would you ever consider surrogacy if you struggled to become a parent? Let us know what you think in the comments below, and please SHARE this with friends on Facebook.
[Featured image: Ashley Marston Photography]
After Two Failed Pregnancies, Mom Welcomes Baby Born Via Surrogate is an article from: LifeDaily